by Jacob Hirsohn, staff writer

The world of movies in 2011 was uniquely unpredictable. The expectations for movies were so frequently wrong, that it ceased to be a surprise by the end of the year.

Movies that seemed purely engineered to be Oscar favorites didn’t quite work out.

What looked like a very crowded year for the academy turned out to be one of the most wide open years in recent memory. The failure of the classic Oscar movie made room for the surprise hits of the year.

Despite the intriguing year in movies, and the intelligent shift in Best Picture voting, the Academy continues to baffle and disappoint.

Here is how they did it:

Best Picture:

“The Artist”

“The Descendants”

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

“The Help”

“Hugo”

“Midnight in Paris”

“Moneyball”

“The Tree of Life”

“War Horse”

Winner: “The Artist”

This was definitely not the group I was expecting. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” has been deemed the worst reviewed movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture.

I was personally surprised by the nomination for “Moneyball,” but many experts had it in, and it definitely earned it.

The general consensus has “The Artist” as the frontrunner, and I have to agree. It has gotten love from critics all over, and a win from the Producers Guild of America solidifies it as a frontrunner.

Best Director:

Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist,”

Alexander Payne, “The Descendants,”

Martin Scorsese, “Hugo,”

Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris,”

Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life,”

Winner: Michael Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

This is overall one of the most solid categories. Nicolas Winding Refn’s directing of “Drive” was the most interesting. (Malick was a close second).

His nomination is another pleasant surprise. None of the other nominees have enough momentum to steal the prize away from the Best Picture winner, and the direction is certainly a strong point of “The Artist”.

Best Actor:

Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”

George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Winner: Jean Durjardin as George Valentim in “The Artist”

Most experts were predicting that  Oldman would earn his first nomination, but the nod for Bichir was a definite surprise. No one is really talking about “A Better Life,” and I personally haven’t seen it.

If they were going to give a Best Actor nod to a movie without a lot of nomiantions, Michael Fassbender for “Shame,” Ryan Gosling for “Drive,” or Peyman Noadi for “A Separation,”. All would have been great choices.

Dujardin is the frontrunner after his win for best actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards late last month.

Best Actress:

Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”

Viola Davis, “The Help”

Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”

Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Winner: Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs in “Albert Nobbs.”

No surprises here. Most experts are predicting a race between two great performances in two not-so-great movies, but I see it being a race between three great performances in three less than great movies.

Davis and Streep both have very real chances, but Close is a five-time nominee who has never won. Her turn as Mr. Nobbs is largely considered the best performance of her career, and I can’t see the Academy missing out on a chance to reward someone with a long track record without wins.

Rewarding the best movies of the year doesn’t seem as difficult as the Academy makes it look.

The most frustrating thing is that they control the most prestigious award show in America, but feel no need to be an American show.

The BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars, wouldn’t pick an American film over a British one given the chance, and the Academy should consider pandering to American filmmakers just a little more.

Overall, it was a very discouraging year, but maybe they will make up for it on Feb. 26 when the awards are given out. Don’t count on it though.